Former PM Oli tests positive for COVID-19

Kathmandu: Former Nepal Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in isolation at his residence, as the Himalayan nation continues to grapple with an alarming rise in Coronavirus cases.

Chairman of our party CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli has tested positive for COVID-19 and is taking rest at his residence in Balkot, Bishnu Rijal, Deputy Chief of the party's Central Publicity department tweeted.

Oli, 70, had been feeling uneasy, and a polymerase chain reaction test conducted on Saturday had returned positive, the Kathmandu Post newspaper said. He had addressed a mass gathering in Jhapa on January 9, and also attended party functions in Kathmandu, which was how he might have contracted the virus, the report said quoting party officials.

Even though he is fully vaccinated, Oli is a patient with comorbidities as he underwent a second kidney transplant in March 2020. Earlier this month, former Prime Minister and senior leader in Nepal's ruling coalition, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has also tested positive for COVID-19.

The spike in cases comes amid the Nepal government introducing a slew of measures to curb the spread of the virus. On Saturday, it imposed the odd-even road rationing scheme for public and private vehicles in Kathmandu Valley.